Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a new Strategic Partnership with the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, describing it as including a landmark trade agreement between the two countries, following a meeting with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
Carney, a former governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, became Canada's prime minister in 2025 and has since made economic diplomacy and trade diversification a consistent theme of his foreign policy, seeking to deepen Canada's commercial ties beyond its traditional trading partners. Agreements of this kind typically aim to reduce barriers to investment and trade between the two countries, covering areas such as energy, finance and infrastructure.
The United Arab Emirates, and Abu Dhabi in particular, has in recent years pursued an active strategy of building economic partnerships around the world, using its sovereign wealth and energy revenue to invest in a wide range of industries internationally. A strategic partnership with Canada would add to a growing list of such arrangements the UAE has signed with countries across North America, Europe and Asia.
Wednesday's announcement came alongside a routine day of parliamentary business in Ottawa, with Carney also scheduled to attend his party's national caucus meeting and the House of Commons' Question Period. The pairing of domestic political work with an international trade announcement reflects how governments often use a single news cycle to advance both foreign and domestic priorities.
Watch for details on the specific trade terms and investment commitments included in the agreement as both governments release further documentation in the coming weeks.
What does the Canada-UAE partnership cover?
It was described as including a trade agreement, though full details of its specific terms were not yet published.
Who is Mark Carney?
He is Canada's prime minister and a former governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England who took office in 2025.